Furnished apartments and studios: 12th Arrondissement

The 12th has come up in the world ever since the arrival in the area of two of Paris’s foremost cultural attractions, bringing hip bars and restaurants in their wake. The first is the Cinémathèque Française, housed in a building designed by Frank Gehry, in the Bercy district; the other, the huge Opéra Bastille, unpopular during its construction, but now one of the world’s great music venues. Accommodation here is less expensive than in the very centre of Paris, but a plethora of Métro stations means that the rest of the city is still within easy reach. The Gare de Lyon is here as well, while at the eastern end of the arrondissement is Paris’s biggest park, the Bois de Vincennes.